A new study, published in the journal Neurology, has found that as minor problems not traditionally associated with brain health pile up, a person’s chance of developing dementia increases.
As we age, certain smaller health problems such as loose dentures, sore feet, and skin irritants may predict an increased risk for developing dementia. “When a lot of small things go wrong, it can add up to an important risk,” says Dr. Kenneth Rockwood, an author of the study “Nontraditional Risk Factors Combine to Predict Alzheimer Disease and Dementia.”
The 10-year study, launched in 1992, included more than 7,200 cognitively healthy 65-year-old Canadians who were asked questions regarding their overall health. The questions included known risk factors for Alzheimer’s, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, but the thrust of the research was on 19 problems that seemingly have no connection with brain health including vision and hearing, sinus congestion, arthritis, morning cough, and problems with the skin, stomach, kidneys or bowel.
While any healthy 65-year-old has an 18 percent chance of developing dementia in 10 years simply because they are aging, the study found that each health problem not traditionally associated with Alzheimer’s increased that risk by 3.2 percent. The risk accelerated as more and more conditions were added, jumping to 40 percent among those in the study who reported as many as 12 conditions.
While taking care of minor ailments is likely to improve a person’s quality of life, no one has yet proved that fixing one problem after another would necessarily reduce one’s risk for Alzheimer’s, according to Rockwood. As much as bad things can add up, so can the good, he said, citing studies showing that walking as little as 30 minutes a day, three days a week “dramatically attenuated” risk factors for dementia.